For countless days, an emaciated two-year-old golden retriever wandered the streets of Florida in search of food and shelter. Her search is finally over.

The starving and filthy pup was spotted by animal control officers scrounging for scraps at a local McDonald's parking lot. She was taken in by a rural shelter and then transferred to Golden Retriever Rescue of Southwest Florida after no one came to claim her.

Her life started out rough, but her luck has finally changed. She was named Natalie after an inspiring 12-year-old girl who recently raised money for the dog rescue. The dirty dog received a warm bath and went to live with a couple who was on the list waiting to adopt.

Bill and Donna agreed to foster Natalie with no prior knowledge of her history or behavior. The sweet pup instantly felt at home with her foster parents who had a scare a few days after she arrived. "A few days in she had some pyometra symptoms and they rushed her to the ER for us to have her checked out. Thankfully she was ok but we learned she was heartworm positive," shared the rescue.

The couple had already fallen in love with Natalie and decided to adopt her and will be by her side as she gets treatment to get rid of the heartworms. She has already gained weight and is living her best life. The rescue shared the heartwarming story on Facebook and wrote, "Thanks, Bill and Donna, for saying yes when we needed help and understanding rescue dogs don’t always come perfectly healthy or behaved."

Another person who has met the couple and Natalie dining at a local restaurant said, "I had the pleasure to meet Natalie and her new family at Scotty’s brewery. She is the perfect girl who still loves her snacks. Popcorn was on the menu that night. Her new family is in love with her and treat her well. They shine when they speak about her".

Golden Retriever Rescue of Southwest Florida is run completely by volunteers who have helped over 1200 golden retrievers and mixes find homes since 2009. They are dedicated to helping homeless goldens find loving homes with the help of fosters, volunteers, and adopters. Learn more about the rescue and see all the adoptable dogs here.